Forward Omari Hutchinson will be aiming to become the third Town player to win the European U21 Championship with Town when he and his teammates face Germany in the final in Bratislava, Slovakia this evening (KO 8pm, Channel 4).
Previously, Steve McCall played both legs of the 5-4 win against Germany on aggregate in 1982, alongside future Blues forward and coach Paul Goddard - a scorer in the 3-2 second leg defeat in Bremen - while Mich D’Avray came on as an 18th-minute substitute in the second leg of the 3-0 on-aggregate victory over Spain in Seville two years later.
The current Young Lions beat the Netherlands 3-1 in the semi-final on Wednesday to secure their place in the final, while the Germans comfortably defeated France 3-0.
Tonight’s match is the second time the teams have met in the tournament, Germany having won 2-1 in the final game in the first phase to top the group with England second.
Hutchinson, who looks certain to win his 10th U21s cap this evening and will be looking to add to his two goals for Lee Carsley’s side, assisted England’s goal in that game as they improved in the second half having been two down at the break.
The 21-year-old has been among England’s top performers at the competition with his displays reportedly attracted the attention of a number of Premier League and Bundesliga clubs, although with Merseyside sources dismissing claims of Everton interest. The former Chelsea man has started four games at the finals and came on as a sub in the other.
England U21s: James Beadle (Brighton and Hove Albion), Teddy Sharman-Lowe (Chelsea), Tommy Simkin (Stoke City), Charlie Cresswell (FC Toulouse), Ronnie Edwards (Southampton), CJ Egan-Riley (Burnley), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Brooke Norton Cuffy (Genoa), Jarell Quansah (Liverpool), Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jobe Bellingham (Sunderland), Archie Gray (Tottenham Hotspur), Hayden Hackney (Middlesbrough), Jack Hinshelwood (Brighton and Hove Albion), Tyler Morton (Liverpool), Alex Scott (AFC Bournemouth), Harvey Elliott (Liverpool), Omari Hutchinson (Ipswich Town), Sam Iling Jnr (Aston Villa), James McAtee (Manchester City), Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal), Jonathan Rowe (Marseille), Jay Stansfield (Birmingham City).